CAPRICORN(December 22 - January 19)Enjoy qualitytime with family, perhaps sharing a meal. Express the worries you may be feeling for a younger sibling. Monetary issues need your attention. Don't get carried away with spending now and you will have money for travel and entertainment later. Much deserved glory is yours. You've worked hard and as a result your professional life feels promising. Be ready when opportunity knocks. Your satisfaction in work will spill over to your married and personal life. Overall, the day seems to be pleasurable in every possible way, be it home or office.

PISCES(February 19 - March 20)You are happiest right now when you are alone, free to pursue philosophical or spiritual thoughts. You may feel a need for change, may be feeling restless. Success can be achieved if you listen to elders and take time to attend to your mental and emotional health right now. Attend to matters of love and commitment. Relationships taxing your time and money might be better off ended. You may need to devote time to sorting out your finances. Keep your goals in mind and locate the resources and people to see them through. A forceful yet gentle approach makes success possible.

SAGITTARIUS(November 22 - December 21)An opportunity to take a short journey away from home may be on the way. You may be accompanied by a caregiver or sibling. Take care to communicate effectively now, whether through email, phone or text. Being a good listener is key. Reach out to friends and even those who have been adversaries in the past. This is the moment to find common ground and work together. Networking today yields larger returns later. The way you communicate with others will determine the quality of your life. Grab any socializing opportunity, reach out to people of varied backgrounds and win friends for life!

ARIES(March 21 - April 19)A recent loss or accident may be causing you some stress. Weight current decisions carefully to avoid fraud or deception. Join a club or partake of a social event if you are feeling lonely or cut off from others. You will be a welcome addition to any party or social group. Face the fears that are holding you back. Good fortune is headed your way. A meeting or official conversation may be causing you anxiety, especially if a contract or deal is at stake. Don't worry. Everything will fit into place. Learn from your own experiences, as well as from the life lessons of others, and you will acquire new skills for success.

TAURUS(April 20 - May 20)Affairs of the heart may be complicated right now, with a relationship in peril of ending. Do what you can to salvage the connection but be ready to let go if needed. Work is richly rewarding right now, with your hard work finally being noticed. A raise or a promotion may now be yours. Closed door meetings are a possibility today. If you find yourself in trouble, rely on help offered by loved ones. This period of introspection and even stoic silence will chart the course of the future. A visit to the doctor may be needed to address health issues. Spend some time on yourself today.

CANCER(June 21 - July 22)A secret or a mistake may be weighing on you right now. Share your concerns with a trusted mentor or teacher. Engaging in vices or risky behaviors would be harmful to your health and reputation. Instead, look to spirituality and meditation, maybe even to travel, for relief and answers. You are effectively balancing work and home life concerns. Your emotions run high, both love and hate, but you feel self confident. Your driving force is your family now rather than the daily chores that seem to take up too much time. Avoid losing your temper. Anger would undo all the good work of the past few weeks.

LIBRA(September 23 - October 22)Enjoy yourself now but don't overdo it. Risky behavior could lead to injury or an accident. Disputes with professed enemies require diplomacy. Your creativity and dedication at work are visible for all to see. An elder, perhaps a grandfather, will need or offer assistance. Your work life never seemed so good as it does today. You can feel positive vibrations all around. A long desired success feels imminent. Explore new areas of interest today. With perseverance you can work your way to the top! You're refreshed and ready to dive into new goals!

AQUARIUS(January 20 - February 18)You are buoyant right now, enjoying material success. Healthy body requires a healthy food and healthy outlook. This is an ideal moment for a new project or idea that has been taking shape in your mind. Pursue that plan now while you are feel confident and supported. You want to break from routine right now and seek fresh ideas. Work may feel draining and uninspiring but stick to the tasks and responsibilities before you. Fresh dreams and inspiration are headed your way. Sometimes without leaps of imagination we lose the excitement of possibilities.

LEO(July 23 - August 22)Monetary setbacks may be a cause of stress right now. Weigh all plans and purchases carefully. If unmarried, it may be time to take the next step in your relationship. Now is an ideal time to tie up loose ends and prepare for a new phase in life. Jot down ideas as they occur to you throughout the day. Avoid being pulled mentally in too many different directions. Setting priorities and doing one thing at a time will get you the desired results. The fact that you are a good manager is made clear as you handle things with perfection both at work and at home.

VIRGO(August 23 - September 22)You may be feeling alone, surrounded by enemies engaging in small minded disputes. Ignore the competition and focus on the work at hand. Some new training or learning a new skill will serve you well. Those closest to you -- partners, spouse, clients -- are in focus. Reviving old connections assists you professionally and financially today. A positive attitude helps you attain a position you've dreamed about. Faith makes it happen. Your hard work and determination yield results. You can certainly count on a raise in both status and self image today. In any case, money and perks are more than good enough.

GEMINI(May 21 - June 20)Complications may occur before or during travel. Your managerial skills will prove useful in dealing with any complications that you face right now, at home or at work. Your ability to lead and work hard has been noticed by others and will soon be rewarded. Communicating your feelings to your significant other is paramount right now, whether through a letters\/email or physical connection. Avoid procrastination and lethargy and you will avoid costly mistakes. Playfulness is fine but set limits for yourself and don't get carried away.

SCORPIO(October 23 - November 21)Be diplomatic in your conversations with family members right now, especially parents and grandparents. Enjoy leisure time but avoid risky monetary choices, such as gambling. Just being or working outdoors should engage your creativity and spiritual side. Follow your gut. Confusion is in the air so give yourself plenty of time and space to think. Gather your facts and listen to your heart before taking the final plunge. Avoid hasty decisions and trust your instincts. They will lead you where you want to go. Wherever your heart is, that is where you'll find your treasure.

I have been a practicing Wiccan for over 30 years and High Priestess of a coven and then of a Wiccan Tradition since 1996. I thought I would start this thread as a place where those who have questions about Wicca, about being a High Priestess, or about what it's like to be in a real-life coven could ask me about it. I'll be happy to try to clarify anything you aren't sure about.

As a solitary practitioner of Wicca since I began, this is the kind of thread I've been looking for. I have only the smallest clue as to how an actual Wiccan coven works, I've never even had the chance to visit someone else's circle, only my own. I've only gone as far as having one other person present in my circle, as the working was from them. I have a huge problem with people wanting to attend, but these people I've declined, for the fact I didn't feel they would take it seriously. I do have some people who are curious about it, and have even borrowed a few of my books on the basics, but then I find myself with a case of stage fright. (Though being alone I have no problem whatsoever communing.)

Coming from a small town, pretty much in the Bible belt of good old Missouri, there are little to none involved in the craft. Though I do take a group to an old cemetery to explore with no problem, "ghost hunting" is quite a bit different than an actual circle.

So, I guess my questions involve how to get out of my stage fright shell, and what would be a better approach to bringing in the curious ones.

I have a question what if i am confused about the different traditions of wicca.Their is just lots of confusion over the different path because i am not so decisive to accept a certain tradition and initiate further.

teen_maiden, first things first. If you are under the legal age (18 in most states) then no reputable coven will accept you as a member because of legal considerations. So you do have some time to investigate some of the myriad Traditions of Wicca that are out there.

But, when looking for a coven, what is important isn't what Tradition that coven is part of as much as it is important that the coven feel like a family to you. Even if you think you'd like to follow a particular Tradition you might find that the closest coven of that Tradition to you isn't a good fit in terms of personalities, leadership styles, meeting times, etc.

When checking out a coven or Tradition, and I always recommend that Seekers do this before they commit to joining any group, I would talk to other Wiccans in the community to see what sort of reputation the group has. In addition, if there are any open circles or festivals near you this becomes a great place to meet with others belonging to covens in your area and getting to know them better. Do they seem to know what they are doing? Are they open to questions? Do they seem like people with whom you wish to join in a coven family? Whatever you do, don't just jump at the first coven you come across even if is the only local group there is.

There is an excellent discussion of British Traditional Wicca and its varied Traditions at http://www.newwiccanchurch.org/articles/btwfaq.htm I happen to be Gardnerian and I am happy to talk in generalities about British Traditional Wicca; however, much of the information about that Tradition is oath-bound and not revealed until one is initiated.

But there are hundreds of other Wiccan Traditions which are not considered British Traditional Wicca. Some of them are also initiatory and oath-bound. Some are very eclectic, do not require initiation, and are willing to talk about any of their practices even to non-members. It would literally be no way to tell you about all of these as each is very different.

Forming and running a successful coven can be a challenging and difficult thing to do. But it can also be very rewarding. However, understand that the average life span of most covens is under four years. I was fortunate to successfully run a coven for 12 years and to leave behind three successful daughter covens.

There are a couple of books that I'd suggest and some websites you would probably find useful as well. You can find them on my former coven's website at http://www.tangledmoon.org/covenleaders.htm In particular take a look at my article on starting a successful magical group. And do read the books "Covencraft" by Amber K and "Wicca Covens" by Judy Harrow.

You might want to try to attend any open rituals or Pagan festivals near you. One of the best is Heartland Festival which isn't all that far away from you. These festivals are attended by a variety of coven leaders and can be a great resource for information on how they go about leading a group.

Given your stage fright and your concern over the lack of true interest in those around where you live I would suggest putting off starting a formal coven at this time. Instead, start out with either offering a Wicca 101 class or starting a study group. A study group is less structured and puts less pressure on you. Use this to weed out the simply curious from those who want to learn more. Later, if you find you have a core of people who want to continue to practice together you may realize that you have the beginnings of an actual coven and want to formalize the group by giving it a name and doing some form of dedication for the group and for the members.

As part of the study group I would suggest including covering the Wheel of the Year and what the various Sabbats represent. Then you can engage in some appropriate crafts and activities and perhaps a simple, celebratory ritual. A good book for suggestions on various season activities is "Circle Round" by Starhawk. I'd also suggest "Celebrating the Seasons of Life: Beltane to Mabon" and "Celebrating the Seasons of Life: Samhain to Ostara" both by Ashleen O'Gaea.

Hope this helps give you some ideas for starters. Don't hesitate to pick my brain at any time.

Thanks lark for answering my question.I could assure you that i am of legal age and thats why i wanted to inquire about traditions and covens.I am working solitary now and look forward to join a coven.

Hi lark my question is an athame only an athame if it is black handled. I based this question off a bad source (Wikipedia) but I am recently writing about tools in my book of shadows and didn't want to mix them up.

Also is a boline only a boline if its white handled.

My last question is what should I call my athame if I dosent have a black or white handle? Can I call it anything I want?

There are two answers to your questions about the athame and the boline.

First of all we'll talk about what they were traditionally and what they remain within British Traditional Wicca.

In Traditional Wicca the athame is always a double-edged, straight blade with a black handle while the Boline is a curved blade with a white (or light) colored handle). You can see a picture of the athames that my husband made for myself and for himself at http://www.tangledmoon.org/Athames.jpg And there are some pictures of typical bolines at http://www.wicca-chat.com/tools.htm

The athame is never used to cut physical objects. It is used as a focus for the Wiccan to direct energy and to "cut" through energy blockages to manifest the magic user's Will. On the other hand, the boline is used for various things such as cutting herbs, carving sigils into candles, etc.

The second answer applies if you are not part of a Traditional Wiccan group.

While the function or the athame and the boline remain the same if one is not a member of a Traditional Wiccan practice, the shape and color are of less importance. If you are working as a Solitary or as a member of an eclectic group then the tools can be of any color or shape that works for you. They would still be referred to as an athame or boline. As an example, when I was first working as a Solitary, my boline was a short kitchen knife with a light colored (but not white) handle.